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| Table of Content |
| Land Reforms in Uttar Pradesh (Legislative & Structural) Impact of Land Reforms in UP |
Trend: Shift from historical laws to “Technological Modernization” and “Land Monetization” for industry.
A. Historical Framework (The Three Pillars)
- Abolition of Intermediaries: UP Zamindari Abolition & Land Reforms Act, 1950 (The Magna Carta of UP’s agrarian history).
- Ceiling on Land Holdings: UP Imposition of Ceiling on Land Holdings Act, 1960 – Redistribution of surplus land to Dalits/Landless.
- Consolidation (Chakbandi): The UP Consolidation of Holdings Act, 1953; Success in Western UP vs. failure in Eastern UP due to fragmentation.
B. Modern & Technological Reforms
- Digitization of Land Records:
- Bhulekh Portal: Real-time update of Khatauni (Record of Rights).
- Bhu-Naksha: Digitized cadastral maps resolving boundary disputes.
- Svamitva Scheme (Gharauni):
- Concept: Drone survey of rural inhabited land (Abadi).
- Impact: Issuing property cards (Gharauni) to villagers, making their residential land a bankable asset.
- Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN): The “Aadhaar for Land” (16-digit code) implementation.
Current Affairs Linkage :
- Digital Crop Survey (e-Padtal): In late 2024, UP launched a massive “Digital Crop Survey” across 93,000+ villages to record real-time cropping data, eliminating the discretionary power of the Lekhpal.
- Vantangiya Rights: In 2024-25, the UP Govt declared 38 Vantangiya villages (forest dwellers) in Gonda/Bahraich as Revenue Villages, finally granting them land ownership rights after 75 years.
A. Socio-Economic Impact
- Positive:
- Rise of OBCs: Emergence of a politically powerful “Middle Peasantry” (Yadavs, Kurmis, Jats) in the Green Revolution belt.
- Reduction in Feudalism: End of the oppressive Zamindari system.
- Negative:
- Persistence of Inequality: Landlessness remains high among SCs (Dalits) in Bundelkhand.
- Fragmentation: Average landholding size in UP has shrunk to <0.73 hectare, making mechanization difficult.
B. Contemporary Impact (Industrial & Urban)
- Land Pooling:
- New Township Policy 2023-24: Shift from “Land Acquisition” to “Land Pooling” (farmers become partners) to reduce litigation and speed up urbanization (e.g., New Noida).
- Land Bank: Creation of a massive Land Bank by Invest UP to facilitate the “Double Engine” investment goals ($1 Trillion Economy).
